The Male Gender
by Fluttershy 2059123
Summary: With a traumatic event normally comes new fears. Cherī's past leaves her with androphobia and nyctophobia, something she is ashamed of. However, when her mother enrolls her to Ouran Academy, she must face her fear of males daily. Hopefully it will turn out okay, especially when her new friend drags her along to meet the Host Club.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: Hey, everyone. So, I took down the last version because of an eye-opening review which I'm very thankful for. I was going to take it down anyway because I was rewriting it, I just never got around to it until that review. So, here is the first chapter of the new version of The Male Gender. If you read the last version, just know that I will try much harder to make things more accurate, like her fear and how it affects her, and to make it more sound as a story overall. I apologize if the last version was insensitive, please know that I do not view males as all being cruel, but I have met a couple like it, and just one bad experience can ruin an opinion, even if it's not true for the mass. This story is about a girl who had a bad experience that completely ruined her mindset over it. If you don't like then please don't read. Hope you like it better than the last version. There are definitely some changes, some minor, others major, but the general plot is mostly the same. Now, on to the story.**

 **I do not own Ouran or the characters, however I own the plot and OCs.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter One**_

* * *

"Darling! It's time to wake up, you have to go to school today," a woman calls to her daughter upstairs.

She waits for a moment before she hears a reply.

"Okay m-mom," her daughter replies in between her yawning.

The woman returns to the kitchen, and finishes cooking her and her daughter's fried eggs for breakfast. They were slightly charred, but they would do.

O.o.O

Upstairs, a girl in her mid-teens, around sixteen years old, sits in her small twin sized bed. She yawns and stretches her arms up and over her head of bright red hair. She blinks her light green eyes that are lined with thick lashes. Her hair is messy and on one side it is scrunched up yet flattened.

The girl groans as early sunlight pours lazily through her window. She stretches her long legs out in front of her and then slides out of bed, landing awkwardly on the ground. The blankets fall along with her, landing on top of her as she sits on her black carpeted floor. Opening her mouth wide and licking her lips to get rid of a foul taste, she stands up. Her fluffy blankets slide off of her and onto the floor.

She slowly walks over to her closet, dragging her feet like a zombie. Yawning again, she opens her closet door and peers inside to see a light yellow dress with puffy sleeves with a ball gowned shape. She groans again, she absolutely hates, no, loathes dresses, but her new school uniform was a dress. From what she heard from her mom, the school was like a castle, and so the students had to dress like royals to make it fit.

The girl grabs the dress and literally throws it onto her bed. She pulls out the heeled black shoes that go with it and throws them onto her bed too. Grumbling loudly, the girl drags her feet downstairs and into the kitchen where she sits down at the table and stares in amazement at the eggs in front of her. She blinks rapidly then looks across the table to her mom who is trying not to grimace over her eggs.

"Just… how?" the girl inquires quietly.

"What do you mean?" her mother asks innocently, spitting the piece of food in her food onto her napkin then bringing her plate to the garbage and disposing the monstrosity of food.

The girl gestures to the plate, "How did you manage to char one side of the egg and yet the other side is raw? That should be impossible!"

The woman shrugs mutely, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. She was never a good cook, no matter how much her sister tried to teach her, she simply was not meant to cook. It either wasn't cooked thoroughly enough or it was cooked too much. However, apparently, she had the ability to do both now.

"Mom… how are you so talented at being such an awful cook?"

"I don't know; maybe it's a gift. I've told you countless times, I'm a terrible cook. But you don't let me buy take-out," the woman sighs and rolls her eyes at her daughter.

"Yes, because we can't waste money on it. I think I'll just have an apple... or toast..." the girl gets up and puts her plate in the sink, disposing of the food as well.

She whistles and a large white dog comes trotting over to her. The large Kuvasz dog is named Puro, after the English word 'professional' but also after the first four words in 'protector' in the Japanese language. He had a good temperament, was gentle and kind, was loyal and was a trained guard dog. He was two and a half years old and still could act like a puppy.

"Here Puro, let's get you breakfast," the girl mumbles after washing off her dishes.

She quickly fills Puro's bowl then rummages through their fridge for breakfast.

"Alright. Go eat something child! We leave in twenty minutes!"

"That's plenty of time to get ready," the girl says, grabbing a spoon and a yogurt.

"No it's not, because you seriously need a shower. Girl, you stink," the woman says.

"Ugh, fine,"

The girl quickly eats the yogurt then cleans up after herself before rushing upstairs to her room and grabbing her under garments and the dress. She shivers at the thought of having to wear it to school. Running still, she makes her way to the bathroom. She turns the water on and steps in after stripping her tank top and sweats. The girl washes her hair and body then gets out. She grabs a fluffy green towel and dries herself off quickly. She pulls on her undergarments and then, with much hesitation and overly dramatic gagging, she pulls on the dress and white leggings. She cringes at the feel of silk and velvet on her creamy pale skin, however realizes that it's not nearly as bad as she originally thought it would be.

She then walks to her room and pulls on the heels. Oh, how she hates heels too; once when she was younger she nearly broke her ankle trying to wear her mother's high heels. It seems she never grew out of her hesitation and rage at them after the incident. She grabs her black bag for school and put her books, both for school and for her entertainment, into the bag. She puts notebooks and her pencil case into the bag as well. Then, she heaves the bag onto her shoulder and walks awkwardly down the stairs.

"Good, you're ready now. You don't mind being a few minutes late do you?" the woman asks, setting her cleaned dishes on the metal rack as well.

"No, I do mind, actually. I am not going to be late on the first day of school here," the girl exclaims at her mom, shooting her an incredulous look.

"Then you have to walk, or run to school, because the car is having difficulties," the woman rubs her temples at this.

"Fine. What time is it?"

"7:05, you better hurry if you want to make it on time. School starts at 7:20!"

"Shoot! Um, bye mom! See you after school. Wish me luck!" the girl moves to take off her shoes, but then realizes she would ruin her new leggings if she did, so she stops and opens the door.

"Oh, and remember! You aren't going to the all-girl school. You are going to Ouran Private Academy which is right next to it! Good luck!" the woman calls after her daughter.

"Okay! Thanks for the reminder!" she calls out behind her as she starts running to her new school.

Thankfully, the heels are only an inch tall, and they are thicker than most heels she's seen.

The girl runs with long strides and quick footwork. She remembers the last time she had to run like this was when she and her mother were running away from her- She shakes her head to get rid of the thought and instead focuses on getting to school, calling forth the directions to the school her mom had told her last night. She gasps as a drop of water hits her on the nose.

"Darn it," the girl curses her luck.

She runs harder, trying to get there faster but the rain catches up to her and soon it is pouring rain. When she finally makes it to school, she is soaking wet and tired. Just her luck. However, as she steps onto the school grounds, she realizes that she really is going to a school fit for royals. The huge building is intimidating; she pauses, taking in the lush green bushes and trees and the beautiful flowers among the well tended lawn. She eventually shakes herself out of her stupor and walks inside, making her way through the tall corridors, following the signs posted that lead to the main office. She walks into the office and is met with gasps.

"What happened to you dear?" a woman with kind blue eyes asks.

A rumble of thunder answers her. The woman laughs good naturedly and runs to grab her a towel from the clinic, along with a dry uniform.

"Would you by any chance happen to be Cherī Jishin?" the woman asks her as the girl dries her hair a few minutes later.

"Yes, I am," the girl responds lightly.

"Ah, I've been expecting you for a week. I see why they call you Cherī with your red hair and green eyes. I'll go grab your schedule," the woman wobbles away to a back room.

"So, you are the new student everybody's talking about. You look like a freak," a random girl snorts as Cherī takes off her leggings so they can be replaced.

"Thanks. I know I am. And I would say you are a snob," Cherī replies without looking up.

Cherī thanks the blue eyed woman as she hands her a new pair of leggings and dress. Putting the leggings on, she stands up then puts her shoes on. She braids her wet red hair that goes to her waist and ties it off with a green ribbon that was in her bag. She glances around and after seeing there are only females in the office and no bathrooms in sight, quickly takes off the soaking dress and slips on the dry one. She ignores the gasps of shock at her gall to change dresses _right there_.

"Ugh! I am not a slob!" the girl shrieks after getting over her initial shock.

"I didn't say slob, I said snob. I know it's easy to get them mixed up, but it won't be any better for you," Cherī eyes the girl, finally looking up at the high voiced girl. She has deep blue-grey eyes and dark red hair.

"Whatever. Get out of my way brat. I need the nurse," the girl snaps at her.

The girl walks past Cherī, who sticks her foot out, and the girl falls flat on her face.

"Ugh! You spoiled little brat! Who do you think you are!?" the girl yells.

"My name is Cherī Jishin. I am an honor student and who might you be? You spoiled little princess,"

"My name _is_ Princess, actually. Great, another honor student, just like that Haruhi boy," Princess stands up, puffs out her chest, sticks her nose in the sir, and with a sweep of her dress, she marches into the clinic.

"Wow. I've never seen anybody treat Princess like that. She once was Tamaki Suoh's richest regular customer until she blamed Haruhi of sexual harassment, which he would never do. Her nickname is Princess, but her real name is Seika Ayanokoji, also known as Princess Iana Koji. She is like the top female around here while Tamaki Suoh is the top male. I wouldn't go messing with her or him too much, they have fans," the woman looks in awe at her.

"No big deal, I can handle her. Though thanks for the concern… Just not him," Cherī murmurs the last part to herself then smiles at the woman as she hands Cherī her schedule.

"What was that last part dear?"

"Oh nothing. Just nervous about my first day," she says quickly.

"I see. Well, good luck! Oh, and I made sure that all of your teachers are female, on your mother's request. She's a very nice woman,"

"Thank you a ton, for everything so far,"

"Sure. If you need help or anything, just let me know!" the woman smiles back at her.

"Will do. Good bye,"

Cherī turns around and waves behind her as she walks out of the office. She glances at her schedule and makes her way to her first class; language arts with Mrs. Necterline.

O.o.O

As Cherī walks into the classroom she notices several males looking at her. She gulps and walks to the front desk where Mrs. Necterline sits checking the plans for today's class.

"Um, hi. It's my first day here. Where should I sit?" Cherī asks.

"Oh, Miss Jishin I presume?" Mrs. Necterline looks up at the red-head and smiles.

"Yes,"

"You are that one girl who has that fear of-"

"Yeah, please don't say it out loud. Others might tease me. I've had it happen before," she quickly cuts her off.

"Okay. Here, I'll write a note to your other teachers. And you can sit in the back next to Renge,"

"Okay, thanks!" Cherī takes the slip of paper Mrs. Necterline wrote and walks to the back of the class and to the only available seat left.

She sits down and puts the paper in the front pocket of her school bag. She glances to her left, a window that overlooks the school grounds. She looks to her right; a girl with shiny light brown hair, fair skin and big brown eyes looks back at her. For a moment she thinks she imagines the giant pink bow on her head, but then Cherī realizes that the bow actually _is_ that big. Somehow though, the girl manages to pull it off as cute.

"Hi! My name is Renge Hoshakuji! I'm guessing you are the new student, the one who got in because of your top-notch grades. What's your name?" Renge asks, sticking her hand out in front of her and smiling a brilliant smile.

"I'm Cherī Jishin. It's nice to meet you Renge. So, what class is this?" she asks as she shakes Renge's hand.

"Language arts, class 2A. The famous twins are in this class. But so is Haruhi Fujioka, he is here for the same reason you are!" Renge blushes slightly and looks at three boys who are sitting one row behind them. Red-headed twins sit on either side of a boy with brown hair and flawless skin.

"Who are they?" Cherī asks, pointing shakily in the boy's direction.

"Oh, that's the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. The guy in between them is Haruhi Fujioka. He's also an honor student! Maybe you two could get along," Renge says, her eyes seeming to gleam with a sudden idea.

"Maybe. Are you positive Haruhi isn't a girl? It sounds like a girly name to me," she quietly observes.

"It is a girly name I know, but he's so cute! Hey, I know! After school you should come with me and we can go to the Host Club together! " Renge squeals in excitement.

"What's the Host Club?"

Renge gasps, "I nearly forgot, you are new so you don't know what it is! Well, I am the Lady Manager of the Host Club, and oversee that everything runs smoothly," she grins, "The Host Club is a place where boys with too much time on their hands entertain young women who also have too much time on their hands. There are seven members, not including myself. The twins and Haruhi, then Tamaki Suoh, Takashi Morinozuka and his cousin Mitsukuni Haninozuka, and lastly but not least, Kyoya Ootori,"

"So… they entertain the girls here?" Cherī asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Basically, but it's a lot of fun! You must come with me after school!"

"Will… I have to hang out with… the g-guys?"

Renge nods, "Yes, unless you want to stick with me… then I can show you the specifics that everyone does!"

She hesitates but agrees, "A-alright. But I'll only hang out with you,"

Renge nods, pleased with herself, and then they start listening into the lecture. After class, Renge stands and walks the two feet to stand besides Cherī's desk.

"So, you'll be my friend, right?" Renge asks, smiling at her as they wait for their next class to start.

Cherī grins and nods, "Of course! That sounds wonderful!"

"Great!" she cheers and then sits back down, deciding to lean over to speak.

Cherī hates the curious glances pointed in her direction, especially the ones from the guys that she sees out of the corner of her eyes. She shakes off the feeling of panic as she also notes that there are a lot of guys in this class, and quickly tries to tune into the lecture once class starts.

At lunch, Cherī allows Renge to drag her to the lunch line and choose her lunch for her. Much to Cherī's delight, Renge picks out an elegant looking salad for them both, one of the more simple dishes available. Renge invites Cherī to sit with her at lunch, which she gratefully agrees to, and soon she's meeting a ton of nice enough young ladies who smile much too politely for her taste. However, a few of the smiles are genuine, and Cherī talks more to them than the others who glance her over then try and not make a big deal as they dismiss her for her 'unkempt appearance', which she learns is very important in the higher social class.

Of course, she doesn't have her own servants and maids to help her get ready, so she merely rolls her eyes and ignores the girls who comment on her appearance in a negative way.

"So, Cherī," one of the girls, Izumi, says, drawing eyes to her, "Where did you originally come from?"

She pauses, "Well, I moved here from America, though I grew up in Japan,"

"So you can speak English?" another girl exclaims, surprise written on her face.

A half-hearted shrug, "Yes, but not very well. I only lived there for six months, and my mother and I didn't talk much, so we didn't really bother to learn too much,"

"Wow! That's so cool!" Renge says, her eyes lighting up again, "I originally moved here from France, though I had a private tutor who taught me how to speak Japanese,"

"That's much more impressive than me. You speak it very fluently,"

Renge blushes, "Awe! Thanks!"

Cherī smiles and nods, going back to eating in silence, though she chimes in when the other girls ask her questions.

After school, a rather chipper Renge leads the way to the Host Club. Surprisingly, they are the first ones there.

"I thought we would be late…?" Cherī mumbles, lifting her brow to take in the overly grand music room #3.

Renge flaps her hand, "Nah, I'm normally here first since I don't have to do anything after school besides this," she grins, "But that's okay! So, want me to give you a tour?"

"Is a tour necessary?"

"Yes,"

"Then I guess…"

"Wonderful. Okay, so the Hosts normally stay over in this main room, however there are changing rooms in the back to your right, and another back room to your left. I heard that somewhere around here there's a piano too, but I haven't bothered looking for it yet,"

Cherī's eyes light up at the mention of the piano, "There's a piano?! We must find it sometime!"

"I didn't know you played,"

"I do, it's one of the few things that calms me, besides singing,"

"You can sing?!"

She nods.

Renge gasps, "I'm _so_ jealous! I like to sing but everyone says I have a bad voice,"

"I'm sure it's not that bad,"

Renge laughs, "It is!"

Cherī giggles and smiles to herself, though looks curiously around the room, taking in the grand hall which is supposedly a music room and the third one of who knows how many in the school at that. The rose gold paint and golden trim, with grand archways leading into other various sections of the room, leaves her in awe. The structural design is beyond magnificent, and she feels a little bit overwhelmed with all the grandness of the school in general. As the rich folk put it, she is a 'commoner', so she feels insignificant in this place.

She sticks close to her new friend as she's given a quick tour, though they soon come back to the main room and find two boys in the male uniform. They are both tall, though one has black hair cut very neatly with glasses, grey eyes, and sharp features. The other has shiny, neatly cut blonde hair, and big blue eyes, with sharp features as well. Cherī shrinks behind Renge who looks at her curiously over her shoulder.

"What's wrong? That's Kyoya and Tamaki, the Vice-President, and the President of the club. They're normally here first unless I beat them, more often than not. Come on, let's go say hi!" Renge grabs Cherī's hand and begins to drag her over to the two.

Cherī shrieks and digs her heels in, frantically tugging back at Renge's grasp, which makes Renge falter.

"What? You have to meet them,"

Cherī shakes her head, "N-no! I don't, and I d-don't want to!"

"Why not?" Renge asks, huffing as she puts her hands on her hips.

By now both Kyoya and Tamaki notice the pair, but choose to watch with curiosity as the newcomer pleads with Renge to _not_ meet them, of all things. Tamaki raises an eyebrow at Kyoya who shrugs but opens his laptop and begins looking for files on the girl. What he finds causes his eyebrows to furrow visibly. Tamaki glances at him curiously then glances back at the two squabbling girls.

Renge purses her lips, "Why don't you want to meet them? Let alone, why would you want to stick with me during club hours when there are seven super hot and cute guys?"

Cherī grimaces, it was so obvious, she was getting bad at hiding things, "I… I don't want to tell you right now,"

"Well then, you have to meet them!"

"W-wha-"

"If you can't tell me then you must meet them, simple as that,"

Renge proceeds to drag her over to the two who watch them the entire way in growing amusement. Once the two reach the pair of second years, Tamaki bows slightly and goes to reach for the newcomer's hand, only to step back, startled, as she shrieks and snatches her hand away from his reach. Kyoya watches in amusement, though he keeps his face blank as he witnesses Tamaki's shock at the transpiring events. Renge frowns at them but sighs, officially thinking that her new friend is a bit more than odd.

"This is Tamaki Suoh, and my fiance, Kyoya Ootori!" Renge gushes, clasping her hands together.

Cherī nods and inches behind the brunette as she shakily takes in the fine apparel of both males. Her arms wrap around herself in a hug and she grips the fabric of her dress a little too tightly for comfort.

"I am not your fiance, Renge. We've been over this," Kyoya sighs, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Cherī flinches as his glasses glint ominously, though nobody else seems to notice or pay attention to it. _It must just be your imagination, get a hold of yourself_! She desperately thinks to herself, unaware of Kyoya's calculating gaze directed at her. She opens her eyes suddenly, trying to remember when she shut them, and takes a deep breath to relieve herself of a bit of tension.

"Anyway," Renge waves off his comment, much to his annoyance, "this is Cherī! She's new here and is going to be hanging out with me to learn what I do as the manager of the club,"

"I see. Enjoy yourselves. Well, we have to go get ready. If you'll excuse us, ladies," Kyoya says.

Renge nods and sends a brilliant smile his way then frowns at Tamaki who seems to pout in turn. Once they are gone Renge turns towards Cherī and lifts a delicate brow.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing,"

"It was something. You can tell me anything you know! I promise I won't tell anyone! Not even my own grandmother!"

Cherī blinks and snorts at that, but shakes her head, "I don't feel comfortable enough around anyone to say anything, yet,"

"Fine, but tell me eventually, okay?"

She nods and Renge smiles, "Alright! Well, let's go to my 'secret lair',"

"Your… 'secret lair'?"

Renge merely smiles and takes her hand, dragging her away from the main room.

* * *

 **Well, I hope it was better than the last one. I think it is, plus I've researched a bit more to make things a bit more accurate. Please review! Thank you for reading. :)**

 **Love,**

 ***Fluttershy 2059123***


	2. Chapter Two

**I do not own Ouran or the characters, however I own the plot and OCs.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two**_

* * *

As it turns out, Renge's 'secret lair' is simply a room underneath the main room of the club where there was a platform so she could surprise everyone and rise out from the ground at a moment where she felt the need to make a grand entrance. Honestly, it makes Cherī shake her head. Once Renge explains everything, Cherī pulls out her small red slide phone, and calls her mom.

" _Hello?_ "

"Hey mom. I will be hanging out after school for a couple of hours at a club where my friend works as the manager,"

" _Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Have fun!_ "

"I'll try,"

" _You'll try? What, are there guys in it?_ "

"Yes…"

" _Well, you better bet your bottom dollar you'll try! Stay close to your friend but try and interact with the guys, okay?_ "

"What?! But, _mom_ ,"

" _No buts about it cherry pie. And I said try, nothing less will be acceptable. Will you be home before dinner or can I get take-out?_ "

"I'll be home by then, you're not wasting money on take-out!"

Renge lifts an eyebrow at her from a distance away at the outburst and bites her cheek to keep from laughing at the suddenness of the statement. Cherī doesn't notice her snickering friend in the background.

"Mom, don't try anything or I'll have to… do something!"

" _Something?_ " her mother notes dryly.

Cherī frowns, "Oh, be quiet. Goodbye,"

" _Bye, cherry pie!_ "

Ending the call, Cherī takes note of Renge's snickering and sighs, turning towards her. Renge doubles over laughing.

"Why did it sound like you were the parent and not your mom?"

"Honestly, I don't know,"

"Ah, well, come on, they should be starting soon and this time I want to introduce you to some people. Tomorrow you can join me in one of my grand entrances,"

Muffling a groan at the thought of having to make a grand entrance with Renge, Cherī nods and follows her back upstairs. They are met with laughter and 'awe's and cooing from various girls. Confused, Cherī peers around Renge's form to see tables set up with chairs around them, couches and loveseats on either sides of coffee tables, and other various sitting places. Girls sit all around the room, chatting and giggling, and swooning at seven boys.

The twins hold a pose where one caresses the other's face with tears in both of their eyes; five girls 'awe' loudly at the display. Kyoya sits at a table with two girls talking to him, blushing at some point when he points out a copy of a new 'special edition' the club is selling. Tamaki sits talking boisterously to seven girls who swoon and cling to each other when he kisses the hand of one of the girls and graces them with a dashing smile. Haruhi sits with three girls who smile and 'awe' when he mentions something about his life and how he deeply cares for something, displaying a content smile as if he's gone off into a realm of memories. The other two males who Cherī guesses to be Takashi and Mitsukuni, though she doesn't know which is which, sit with each other at a couch enjoying cake with six girls surrounding them.

All in all, Cherī frowns at the many slightly disturbing displays. _Who in their right mind would want to go here and be 'entertained'?_ Cherī thinks, not noticing Renge's attention on her. Renge smiles in amusement at her friend then grabs her hand and tugs her over to Haruhi who finishes up whatever he was talking about previously and diverts the attention onto the girls.

"That's wonderful," Haruhi says, then glances at the two, "Oh, hey Renge. Who's this?"

Renge grins, "This is my friend Cherī. She's new here and following me around like a cute little puppy who got lost or something!"

Cherī blinks, was she really like that? Haruhi smiles gently at her, and she grimaces. She was getting very confusing signals from this Haruhi person. He had such big eyes, and such soft features, in complete contrast with the guys here. It was almost like he had feminine features. Cherī's eyes widen in realization and Haruhi lifts a brow at her silence. Renge tilts her head and giggles awkwardly.

"Sorry, Cherī here's a bit… odd. But she's really cool when you get to know her. I was hoping she could hang out with you for a bit while I took care of some things…?"

She leaves the question in the open air and Haruhi nods, "Yeah, sure. You don't mind, ladies, if Cherī joins us, do you?"

They shake their heads and giggle at the red-head's obliviousness, "We don't mind!"

"W-wait, what? You said y-you were going to introduce me t-to people!" Cherī stumbles.

Renge nods, "I did, and I will! But, I have some things to do first. Have fun!"

Renge skips off, leaving Cherī to stare after her in disbelief. She was just left behind. Haruhi watches the red-head curiously, wondering if she was going to be okay. She really _did_ look lost without Renge.

"Hey, Cherī? Do you remember me from lunch?" a tall brunette asks, gaining Cherī's attention.

"Hmm?"

"It's me, Izumi, remember?"

"Oh. Y-yeah, hey,"

"Come sit by me! Haruhi was just asking us about classes this year, and if we like what we are taking,"

"O-oh,"

Haruhi nods and Cherī listens as the girls begin talking about their classes, gushing over some things and complaining about others. Sliding into a spare chair from a different table, Cherī watches the interactions between the group. She eventually decides that this Haruhi character is a cross-dresser for one reason or another that she may never find out. Realizing this, she sits more relaxed and allows herself to enjoy the moment, however awkward or weird it may be. Now that she's somewhat relaxed, she allows herself to glance around the room, watching the others talk and gush over trivial and some very odd things. How could girls _possibly_ be into these things?

Soon, Renge comes back to the group and smiles.

"Thanks for watching over her while I was away," she exclaims, as if she went somewhere far away and she left her dog at a sitter's.

Cherī raises an eyebrow at this but let's it slide. She doesn't want to chance losing her first friend after the incident for questioning her.

"Of course Renge. I like meeting new people," Haruhi smiles.

Renge nods and grins at them before grabbing Cherī's hand and pulling her up, "Come on Cherī, now you get to meet the others,"

Cherī grimaces and sends a pleading farewell glance at Izumi and the others. Izumi raises an eyebrow at this and glances at Haruhi who doesn't seem to realize what the look means. Shaking her head, Izumi grins at Cherī and waves, mouthing 'sorry, can't do anything'. Cherī frowns as she's tugged away, surprised though at how strong Renge is. She's dragged over to the two twins, who are in the middle of showing affection to _each other_ _,_ not the guests. Cherī sweat drops, what was with them? They freaked her out even more than just being males because of their unique relationship.

They look up at Renge and seem to grin like cheshire cats, "Oh, hey Renge. Who's this?"

Renge smiles, "This is my new friend, Cherī. She's new here so I'm introducing her to people. Cherī, this is Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the twins,"

Cherī flinches as they gaze at her with the same grins they gave Renge. She inches behind Renge even more, hoping to escape their curious glances, not fully realizing she's only drawing _more_ attention to herself that way. Kaoru and Hikaru cast each other a sideways glance with raised eyebrows. The five girls that sit around a round table murmur to each other, not all too pleased that the twins are distracted by the two newcomers.

Renge smiles at Cherī who timidly smiles back, however her smile doesn't reach her eyes.

"Come _on_ Cherī, say hi or something,"

Cherī barely manages a tiny nod of her head towards them before she stiffens as the two boys walk over to her and grab her shoulders before she can move. She yelps and pulls away quickly and harshly, jerking back so suddenly she trips on the back of the dress that she's still not quite used to, which results in her falling on her rear. Renge gasps and quickly helps her up while the twins frown at each other in confusion at the reaction. They eventually just shrug and are dragged back to their table by soft complaints whispered amongst their guests.

"Sorry ladies," Kaoru starts, pulling his chair out.

"We had to meet someone new," Hikaru finishes with a reassuring smile.

The girls swoon again as the boys grin at them, a small gleam in their eyes that's barely noticeable, however Renge, the ever observant Lady Manager, notices and quirks a brow. She ushers Cherī away when the girl begins to hyperventilate for seemingly no reason. Dragging her past the tables, Renge catches Haruhi's eye and deliberately motions her over, using large hand signals since Haruhi doesn't seem to understand most small gestures. They move quickly towards the changing rooms where Renge makes Cherī sit down, her concern clear on her facial features. Haruhi soon joins them, a slightly concerned look on her face as well.

"What happened? Is she okay?" Haruhi asks, moving to stand near Renge.

Renge shakes her head slowly, "I don't think so. I was introducing her to the twins when they came up behind her and she completely freaked out, jerking backwards so fast she fell. The twins went back to their table after that and then she just started hyperventilating. What do we do?"

Haruhi bites her lip, "I'll go get Kyoya and ask him for advice. Stay with her,"

Renge nods, "Okay,"

Haruhi moves to get Kyoya when Cherī weakly calls, "No! You d-don't have to do that,"

Haruhi pauses, "Are… you okay now?"

"Y-yeah," Cherī clears her throat, clenching her hands into tight fists to hide the fact that they are

shaking, "I'm f-fine. I just need to g-go home. I'll see you tomorrow,"

"If you're sure…" Haruhi trails off.

Cherī nods, "I'm s-sure. Thank you though. Have a n-nice evening,"

She stands up and quickly walks out of the hall in the changing room then heads towards the exit, muttering under her breath as she goes, clenching and unclenching her fists in the process. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! I n-never should've agreed to go…"

"Wait! You forgot your bag!" Renge calls, jogging towards her, her heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor.

Cherī stops and offers a small smile in response to her bringing her her bag; she had honestly totally forgotten about it. After accepting it, she turns on her heel and leaves. Renge walks back to where Haruhi stands a ways away from her own table. Renge smiles brightly at Haruhi who smiles back; Renge still believes Haruhi is a guy, and has some sort of crush on Haruhi, ever since Haruhi had saved Renge that one fateful day when Renge was shooting a film for the Host Club and Renge had provoked the wrong people. Thankfully it had ended peacefully without too much trouble, though Kyoya had to pay the Hollywood directors for a new camera lense to replace the one he broke.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I would say Cherī was afraid of the twins," Renge muses, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Haruhi raises an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yeah, you know since she started freaking out only _after_ they touched her… though she was pretty timid around Kyoya and Tamaki too…"

"Hmm. Well, I guess we'll wait and find out, huh?"

Renge pouts at the aspect of having to wait, "Yeah, I guess,"

O.o.O

Cherī frowns to herself as she walks swiftly out of the school's courtyards, hoping to make it home as soon as possible. She barely notices the rain pouring down on her, soaking her quickly. That is, until she glances up as a large rumble of thunder shakes the sky. She flinches and sputters as rain pours in her face. Suddenly she realizes she's freezing and soaked to the bone.

"Damn, I need to get home," she mutters bitterly, quickening her pace until she's on the brink of running.

When she does get home, panting as she tries to catch her breath, her face flushed, she leans against the closed door. Her mom pops her head out of the kitchen, a slightly alarmed expression on her face.

"Are you okay? If you called I would've gone and picked you up you know," her mother exclaims, running to the bathroom to get a towel.

Cherī sighs in exasperation, "I didn't really notice it was raining until I was completely soaked and off of the school premise. Sorry,"

Her mother, with her hair thrown up in a messy bun, her cheeks flushed for some reason, and her eyes sparkling with mirth, rolls her eyes in the bathroom as she tries to get a towel out from under her… pile of necessities.

"Sweet, I would've picked you up even if it wasn't raining. Tomorrow text or call me after school and I'll come get you, if the car's fixed by then,"

Cherī hums as she takes off her shoes and leggings, hopping awkwardly on one foot as she tries to get the wet leggings off. She loses her balance and squeaks as she falls to the ground with a thud. Her mother finally gets her a towel and walks back to the entryway, her brows furrowed slightly in question to the noise. When she comes across her daughter sprawled on the floor she laughs, loudly. Cherī huffs and pushes herself up, taking her leggings off once she's sitting. She takes the towel from her mom and gets up, scowling faintly at her mom who continues to laugh.

"Hey, mom?"

"W-what?" she asks between chuckles.

"Where's Puro?"

The laughter stops suddenly, "I think I left him outside…"

Their eyes widen and Cherī watches as her mom runs to the back door, shouting Puro's name. The large dog comes running at full speed inside where it's warm and dry. Puro stops in the hallway and pauses before shaking himself. The two girls shriek in horror as muddy water splatters on the walls and carpet.

"Puro! No! Bad Puro!"

"Stop!" Cherī shrieks with laughter.

Cherī quickly uses her towel to dry off her dog, shaking her head sadly as she does. Sometimes her mother was too forgetful for her own good. Once Puro is mostly dry, she gets up and grabs her leggings and heels then climbs the stairs to her own bathroom to clean up. Once she's in the shower, her mother pokes her head in and grabs her mud splattered dress and leggings then takes them downstairs to wash.

Thirty minutes or so later Cherī sits on her bed in her room doing homework. Thankfully it's not much since it was the first day, mostly just papers to be signed by her mother. Puro trots in, now clean from a bath that her mother had to give him. He jumps onto her bed and lays down at the foot of her bed, watching her silently. They stay like that until dinner time.

"Time for dinner!"

"What are we having?"

"Take-out!"

"No!" Cherī quickly jumps off her bed, scrambling down the stairs to stop her mom from picking up the phone.

"Hello, I would like to order," her mom quickly says as Cherī appears in the doorway of the kitchen, looking livid as she begins speaking.

Cherī quickly snatches the cell phone from her mother's grasp, "I'm sorry, it seems we got the wrong number. Have a nice evening and sorry for the inconvenience,"

Her mother gapes at her, her eyes wide and a pout quickly forming on her thin lips as Cherī hangs up. Cherī snaps the flip phone shut and hands it back to her mom with an annoyed huff.

"Really mom? Everyday, seriously, this is getting old," Cherī mumbles.

Her mother frowns at her, pursing her lips as she slips her phone back into her pocket, "Fine then. What _will_ we have then? Huh?"

"I'll make ramen,"

"But we have that every night!"

"Because you refuse to go to the store to buy actual ingredients for dinner!"

They both huff and look away from each other in annoyance.

"You're just as bad as my sister was before we moved away,"

Cherī lifts her eyebrow, "Aunt Asahi?"

"Yep. She never let me buy take-out every night either,"

Cherī laughs, "That's because she knew what was good for a person! She was a dietitian,"

"Yeah, I know. I loved her, but she was too strict with food,"

"She only seemed strict because you were so carefree," Cherī pauses, "Well, you still are, but less so,"

Her mother rolls her eyes as she walks out of the room to feed Puro, snapping irritably over her shoulder, "Thanks,"

Cherī beams, replying with heavy sarcasm, "You're welcome!"


End file.
